Not sure if you lump me in with that statement but hey ho
Question though.. When do you think we will be able to compete with anyone in football then ( nearly anyone )
Because the longer the time frame is the longer we are away from the top table the more we become just a club with great history.. The more we become less attractive to the top players.. The tougher the way back to the top is..
The less likely it is to happen
So another year? Two years? Five years?
This summer is proof we are becoming less attractive to top players..
It's not about slagging them off for no reason, it's not about saying that clearing debt or lowering the wage bill isn't a noble act..
But are we and can we be competitive like this?
Well that's becoming even harder in the modern game especially when you are doing or from a position of weakness in the eyes of the top players, or even the ones perceived as just below that level like Miki or Costs
The fact is that when Broughton was involved with selling us, he was quoted as saying it would take a minimum of 3 years to turn us around.
My thoughts were more like 5, but I hoped we could get it done more quickly.
Right now, we are not as competetive as we would like, and I know it's hard to swallow. I have a hard time with it myself: I get angry, I get frustrated, but at the same time I understand that some things take more time than I would like them to.
Unless we suddenly get sold to an oil sheikh, it's going to be another couple of seasons before we are back in the CL unless BR is a managerial genius, or we sign at least 2 quality players this window, in which case, if we get the right players I would expect us to be challenging for the top 4.
As you know, top 4 in itself becomes a huge plus when attracting the kind of players we as fans want to see.
I just don't think there are any shortcuts.
We know there is money to spend on the right players, otherwise what did we use to bid for the unpronounceable east european bloke, but there's also no point in spending for the sake of it.
Until the window ends and we see the players in, or lack of them, all this is pretty much moot anyway.
As things stand, I think BR can get us punching above our current weight, but doing it over 38 games and finishing in the top 4 is an awful lot to ask.
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